The 2026 FIFA World Cup promises to transform the football landscape of North America for several weeks. Millions of fans will focus their attention on the sport’s biggest tournament, while cities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico prepare to welcome an influx of visitors, activities, and events connected to the competition. Amid this backdrop, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has identified a unique opportunity to reach new audiences and capitalize on the widespread interest that football will generate throughout the summer.
Although the World Cup has forced the league to make significant logistical adjustments due to stadium usage and operational pressures in several markets, league officials believe the challenge can also become a platform for growth. Commissioner Jessica Berman has made it clear that the goal is to connect with any elite football fan, regardless of whether they typically follow men’s or women’s competitions. With most of the stars of the U.S. national team playing in the NWSL and a promotional strategy specifically designed for this period, the league hopes to turn global attention on the sport into an opportunity to expand its reach.
The World Cup as a Gateway for New Fans
The NWSL’s strategy is based on a reality supported by various audience studies. For years, there was a perception that women’s sports were followed primarily by women, but more recent research paints a much more diverse picture. The data shows that men make up a significant portion of the audience for women’s competitions and that interest continues to grow across virtually every demographic group. For the league, this means that fans who follow the men’s World Cup may also be drawn to the competitive quality and entertainment value of the American women’s league.
The opportunity also extends to a historically underexplored segment: women who follow international football but have not yet incorporated the NWSL into their sports-viewing habits. Constant exposure to football during the World Cup could help encourage that transition. While millions of people spend their days watching matches, analyzing results, and discussing the tournament, the league hopes to position itself as a natural extension of that experience. The objective is to demonstrate that interest in football does not have to be limited to a single competition or category but can expand into new offerings within the same sporting ecosystem.
A Campaign Designed to Take Advantage of the Summer Football Boom
With that goal in mind, the NWSL made a strategic decision to resume its regular season on July 3, once the World Cup has moved beyond its initial phase and the schedule begins to provide more space between matches. The aim is for fans already immersed in football conversations to discover new games and new sporting stories. Rather than competing directly with every World Cup matchday, the league seeks to coexist with the tournament and benefit from the overall increase in interest in the sport.
The most ambitious initiative will be the “Summer of Soccer” program, a nationwide tour that will travel to different cities with fan events, activations, and promotion of the league’s marquee matches. The campaign will include stops in World Cup host cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Kansas City, as well as key NWSL markets. Among its flagship events is the Queen’s Classic at Citi Field, which aims to set a new attendance record for women’s sports in New York. More than a series of promotional events, the tour represents the NWSL’s effort to place itself at the center of the summer football conversation and take advantage of a moment that is unlikely to be replicated on a similar scale anytime soon.
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